Researchers have solved the three-dimensional architecture of the protein BRCA1, which extends the understanding of the protein's functions.

The BRCA1 protein acts as a tumor suppressor protein and is encoded by the BRCA1 gene. It helps repair damaged DNA and thus helps maintain the stability of the cell's genetic material. If the protein does not function correctly, DNA damage may not be repaired properly and then trigger the development of cancer.

Mutations in BRCA1 have been found in a significant percentage of patients with breast and ovarian cancers. Besides, the protein is also implicated in some other types of cancers, such as colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and peritoneal cancer .

BRCA1 functions in interaction with BRCA1-A, BRCA1-B and BRCA1-C, which are protein complexes. To better understand this interaction, Stephen Smerdon, Otto Kyrieleis and other researchers from The Francis Crick Institute, along with Carol Robinson from University of Oxford, used multiple methods to learn the detailed structures of these proteins.

Their findings were reported in a paper appearing in Cell Reports.

According to estimates, 65-75% of women carrying BRCA1 mutations will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes, as compared with 12% in the general population; 35-60% of women with BRCA1 mutations will develop ovarian cancer, as compared with 1.6% in the general population. In addition, certain BRCA1 mutations play key roles in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. Because of the contribution of BRCA1 mutations to cancer, people are increasingly getting tested for BRCA1 mutations.

If we can better understand how the BRCA1 protein helps repair damaged DNA, we may be able to find novel ways of detecting, treating and preventing cancer in individuals with BRCA1 mutations. The new study may bring us one step closer to this goal.

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